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You can listen to good music in the evening, quiet relaxation sounds, or just your favorite songs to help you come down from a busy day. Audio books or radio plays are another way to end the day in a relaxed state of mind.

Change your clothes when you know you will not leave the house again that day. This automatically signals to your body that you are leaving the workday behind and beginning the relaxing part of the day. If you stop eating, brush your teeth, remove your make up and get ready for the bed.

You don’t always know if your company is making a profit or not. If you can get this information, for example because you work for a listed company, then you should use it. If your company is making good profits, then you should consider what contribution you have made, and use this to try to get a salary increase.

Salary is seldom discussed. The transparency laws, however, give you the opportunity to learn more about salaries in your company. Branch meetings can also give you the chance to find out what people in similar positions to you earn. Wherever possible, compare your salary to that of others. If your colleagues get more perks or benefits than you, you should address the problem.

It is new employees who often receive the best incentives, not the old ones. In some companies, regular salary negotiations are not a given. The longer you work in an organization without renegotiating your salary, the more likely it is that you are underpaid. Only a regular change of job or regular salary negotiation (every 18 months to two years) can solve this problem.

Of course, there are salary differences. Your experience, location and the size of the organization all have an influence over your salary level. However, if significantly more is paid elsewhere in your sector or for your specific role, you should definitely use this information to renegotiate your salary.

Sport helps tremendously to clear the head and switch off. It does not always have to be a workout in the gym; even an evening walk can do you good. Half an hour in the fresh air is enough. Of course you can also jump on the bike and peddle over a longer distance to do something for your stamina. You can also practice yoga or do Pilates exercises at home; there are plenty of exercise videos on the internet.

It is worth regularly checking the job advertisements for your sector and for similar positions to your own. Very often, advertisements list a salary indication, which will give you an idea of the market rate for your role. If salaries elsewhere are considerably higher, that should give you something to think about.

You have more responsibility, for example for staff or a particular area of work which you have taken over, but your salary hasn’t changed at all? Then you should seek a discussion and request an increase in some form, whether that is more money or other benefits.

The rate of inflation varies year on year. If you don’t get a salary increase for several years, then because of inflation, the value of your salary is actually decreasing. You should make sure that you get an increase at least every two years, so that your salary at least keeps pace with inflation.

In some sectors, skills shortages are a massive problem. If your role is in one of these sectors and your skills are in demand, you can be almost sure that another company would pay you more to work for them. Regularly research standard branch salaries and use that expert knowledge to request a pay increase.

Your colleagues are okay and your work is enjoyable. Nevertheless, you are dissatisfied with your job. If you feel this way, then you probably subconsciously have the impression that you are paid too little and you should try to get to the bottom of the problem.

Handling criticism in a professional way is also evidence of high emotional intelligence. People who score above average in this regard recognize that criticism is not usually meant as a personal insult. They interpret it as well-meant help and use it to improve themselves and learn from their own mistakes.

Individuals with a healthy level of emotional intelligence thank people for the small things. This not only demonstrates emotional intelligence but also courtesy. For example, those who thank colleagues for their good work show respect and appreciation for the performance of others.

Emotionally intelligent people can not only empathize extremely well with others, they are also masters of self-analysis. They critically question their own emotions and actions constantly, and therefore have a strong understanding of what they are good at and what skills they still need to develop.

Emotionally intelligent people are constantly focused on others. They are able to accurately assess others very quickly, aided by excellent gut instinct and intuition. Nevertheless, emotionally intelligent people do not stick rigidly to their initial assessment; they continually adapt their view based on new impressions.

We always remember the negative much more than the positive. Therefore, you should always “garnish” your criticism with something positive. Try to find a positive note to end your session. For example, you can point out how much you appreciate the other person or what went well in the situation.

Be open to the possibility of the other person wanting to give you feedback in the situation as well. Also allow for the chance to find a solution together.

Everyone has experienced the situation: You receive an apology and, even with an average level of emotional intelligence, you recognize that it is not particularly heartfelt. In contrast, those with particularly high emotional intelligence always apologize genuinely and in a way that is appropriate to the situation. Emotionally intelligent people radiate credibility because they really mean what they say.

People with high emotional intelligence are always aware of the subjectivity of their own perceptions. This becomes especially clear during disputes. While the average person sticks to their own personal perspective, emotionally intelligent people try to see things from the viewpoint of others.